It's Never Easy Being Friends
by wolfhuntsmoon
Summary: Alex expected that if the terrorists didn't kill him, K-unit probably would. Unintentionally, but he'd still end up Not Alive. Which was a bad place to be in his book. Trust is rare and precious, things can always change, and nothing is as it seems...
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys, I'm back from the dead! I didn't get into heaven, and hell was afraid I'd take over, so I decided to come back here and gift you with a pointless, yet rather witty (I think) AR fic. Btw, my HP fic is dead. Irrevocably. I'll be deleting it soon and we'll all be better off for it. **Valeska Vampire Queen, Dreamcloudchild** and **True Colours**, this is for you, for helping me through exams and generally being really good, nice people. :D Special thanks to **Dreamcloudchild** and **True Colours **as they have helped me to improve this fic immeasurably. This is just a short prologue to introduce the story, before I post a proper chapter.

Please drop me a line, even if it's just to say whether you liked it or not. Flames will be met with plenty of water, sarcasm and mocking laughter. But you can still flame anyway. Any criticism is good criticism in my book. Bring. It. On.

Disclaimer: If I were Anthony Horowitz, where would I keep the rights to AR? They must be hidden here somewhere… OF COURSE I DON'T OWN IT!!!!!

Now. Go read the story.

Alex collapsed onto the bed, utterly spent. Finally, he was out of the hellhole of a country that he'd been packed off to a few weeks ago. He had been told he was to investigate certain dealings and rumours that had come to the attention of MI6 and were making them uneasy, rather like his first mission. Three agents sent in previously had been killed within weeks of arriving, and MI6 were desperate for information. As it turned out the rumours had been a lot closer to the truth than previously thought. This last mission had nearly ended in disaster, with Alex stepping in again to save the day. _Although, at least I had some help this time._ Forcing his eyes open, he regarded K-unit fondly. _Even Wolf wasn't too bad… _They were waiting to be debriefed now they were back on British soil, and had been put up in a rather nice hotel for the time being. Alex was lumped with Fox and Eagle while Wolf and Snake took the room next to them.

It was always interesting to watch them interact with each other. He'd done it at the training camp as well, but not as much. After all, at the time he was more concerned with surviving whatever new torture came his way. Now that he wasn't occupied, he watched them sleepily. _It's funny, the way they act like a bunch of kids when they think no one's looking._

Wolf, of course, was the leader. Which meant he was the toughest. _And the grumpiest. _Alex had been on the receiving end of so many, many death threats and glares from Wolf, it didn't really bother him anymore. He grinned slightly, remembering the incident during the mission that had finally ensured they could all work together…

Thanks to all who read this story, and an even bigger thank you to all who REVIEWED!!!! (hint hint )


	2. Chapter 2: Why Don't You Ever Shut Up?

Thanks to all those who put me on a story alert or favourites, I'm very pleased that you liked it enough to do so. As promised, here is the first proper chapter. Warning: sarcasm abounds. Don't you just love saying that? Apologies I advance for my portrayal of Wolf's character, I know it may seem a little extreme, but I kind of need him that way to make the story work. I hope you like it, and while I can understand that the prologue was too short to review, please do so now. It really would mean a lot to me. Anyways, I, Wolfhuntsmoon, do solemnly swear to harass Mr. Horowitz until his dying day for the rights to AR. Because I don't own them. Obviously.

Chapter 1: Why Don't You Ever Shut Up?

_A week previously:_

Alex sank onto the floor, gratefully, and thought longingly of his comfortable bed back in London, so many miles away. The hectic events of the past few days had left him drained. Spying, being captured, calling for help, interrogation, realising help wasn't coming, more interrogation, planning, escaping, running for his life, then finally being rescued just as he thought he was dead, had really drained him. He was so tired… more than that, he was weary to the bone. His current condition wasn't helped by the dry heat that sucked water from his skin and stole his strength. All he wanted to do was sleep, but that was never a good idea during the day while in hostile territory. Shaking his head slightly he pulled himself together. Wolf, catching the action, gave him an unpleasant smirk, leaned over and mocked,

"Aah, did baby Cub not get enough sleep last night?"

On hearing this, the rest of the unit turned to regard the spectacle. They had arrived only two days ago in response to Alex's distress call, and Wolf wasn't happy. Alex had quickly learned to stay well out of Wolf's way whenever he could, but now, in the short time before they were due to start the final phase of the plan, there was little to do. Oh, and by the way, MI6 had finally decided to give him some protection. When he had heard that it was K-unit assigned to him, Alex had wondered just how dangerous his current enemies were – for surely, nothing could surmount Wolf in a temper. _I'd rather take my chances with them, thank you very much. _He'd tried to ignore Wolf as much as possible, but he was horribly persistent, and tended to get worse if Alex didn't answer. Eyeing Wolf's glare that had just stepped up a notch, Alex settled for shrugging, and an offhand,

"No."

His refusal to rise to Wolf's bait was, apparently, funny, for the rest of the unit were trying to restrain smiles, and in Eagle's case, sniggers. Unsuccessfully.

Wolf interrupted his train of thought.

"Well, we better fly mummy and daddy out here to tuck you in at bedtime then – or do you need a lullaby as well?"

Alex kept his face blank and didn't answer. Any jab about his parents really hurt. But so long as Wolf didn't know that, he couldn't use it against him. He simply fixed his gaze on the grey concrete ceiling, and tried to tune the man out. _Hopefully he'll get tired of this soon. _

"What, your mum warn you not to talk to big, scary strangers?"

Alex didn't know if he could survive rolling his eyes when Wolf was in this much of a snit, but he preferred not to test that. He settled for closing his eyes instead. But they flew open again, as a none-too gentle kick landed on his side, not hard enough to bruise, but more than enough to jolt him out of the comfortable drifting feeling he'd finally found. Instinct took over and he'd already rolled halfway across the room, spun into a stance, with one arm reaching round for the knife he'd managed to steal from a guard, before he realised where he was. Luckily the knife hadn't been found when he came here, so he now had an ace up his sleeve if he was ever attacked again. But K-unit weren't to know that.

He cursed himself for still being so on edge, and gently straightened up, stretching out his stiff muscles. _That floor is __hard._When he looked over at them, they all wore faintly surprised expressions. _Maybe now_ _Wolf'll finally shut up. _Grousing to himself, he sat, pointedly, back down against the wall. When he looked up, all hope of a rest now gone, he saw Wolf glowering at him. Again. _What did I do this time? _Alex was genuinely bewildered, and his patience was almost at an end. The rest of K-unit watched him, and he didn't really mind, but Wolf actively hounded him. Alex felt more than a little aggrieved, considering that he'd saved Wolf's career, and later, his life. _Maybe he's just perverse, and hates me __because__ of that. _Alex considered the idea – it was an interesting one. But, once again, his reverie was smashed to bits by Wolf's malicious tones.

"Afraid we're gonna hurt you Cub? Trying to run away from little old me? Or just life in general? Poor little Cub, scared of the big bad Wolf." Alex sighed. Wolf's grin grew to be downright nasty. "I bet if your parents were here they'd be pretty disappointed wouldn't th-" His rant was cut off since Alex had stood, and was making for the door. Wolf, noticing the way Alex's hands had balled into fists, blocked his way. "Now wait a minute Cub, I was only starting our conversation." Alex had managed to get himself under control during his few seconds' respite, and now stood, silent. He looked relaxed, or resigned. But inside he was seething. Wolf had no right, no right, to say that. Alex stayed silent because he knew if he opened his mouth now, he would lose it completely. Wolf had never said anything like this before, and Alex was wondering how far he would go. He was soon answered.

"Such, a shame, we'd be able to tell them all about their darling son. Imagine, Cub, they'd know what you're really like – all their illusions falling away." He laughed cruelly. "Who knows, maybe they'd decide you're not worth it, and they-"

"Shut up."

The single phrase was quiet, but deadly. Wolf and the others seemed to realise this, as Wolf backed up a step, while the others focussed fully on the conversation for the first time. The tension in the room rocketed, and all of the unit were ready for a fight. Alex stood, battling to keep from slipping into the icy, silent rage that was clamouring for Wolf's blood. He'd killed people when he had been like this before, and he couldn't make any guarantees that he'd have the restraint not to kill Wolf. Not after what he'd just said. The others seemed to realise that there was something different about him, and sent Wolf warning glances. Wolf himself watched Alex warily; perhaps realising he had provoked him.

Alex took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. Then, with iron control, he turned, rigidly, slowly, and went over to the wall, and sat down. Arranging himself into a semi-comfortable position, he struggled to relax. Realising it was futile; he tilted his head back against the cool of the wall, and tried to centre himself. This was the coolest room in the house, which meant they all crammed into it. Luckily, it was fairly large, so fraying tempers weren't tested too badly. With grim amusement, all he could think was: _if Wolf speaks again, I can't be held responsible for my actions. _Unfortunately, Wolf didn't seem to hear, or heed, his silent warning.

"Why are you always so damned quiet anyway?" The question came out forcefully, and Snake rolled his eyes, while Fox simply shook his head. Eagle mimed smacking his palm into his head behind Wolf's back, all of them, (including, and especially Alex) totally exasperated by Wolf's apparent lack of the ability to be a decent human being.

_Okay, I warned him. _This time, Alex actually looked up and met Wolf and the unit's eyes. Fox winced, having had some experience of Alex's unique brand of humour. Then Alex smiled, before replying,

"Because, multilingual as I may be, I don't speak moronic idiot."

For a second, there was utter silence. Then Eagle and Fox burst out laughing, while Snake grinned broadly. Wolf was shocked into silence, not quite believing the absurdity of Alex's reply. Eagle, attempting to keep a straight face, managed to recover enough to gasp out,

"H-he's got you th-there Wolf!"

His efforts in vain, he collapsed into unwilling convulsions again, trying and failing miserably to hold back his mirth. Wolf, meanwhile, had recovered some of his composure, and was looking murderous. He spoke, his voice low and irritated.

"I'm not stupid, Cub, and if you think y-"

"I never said you were stupid Wolf. But I do think you're a moronic idiot of a cretin, descended from a bunch of thick-skulled, gormless Neanderthals."

Fox and Eagle glanced once at each other before going into hysterics, while Snake was now openly chuckling at Alex's audacity.

Alex's smile was now razor-edged and vicious. The vindictive side of him was not often aroused, but once it was, woe betide the unlucky one to incite Alex's wrath. Wolf, furious at being interrupted and insulted, bared his teeth, appearing remarkably like his namesake. He opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver a stinging retort, but was again cut off by Alex's quiet statement.

"It's not so nice when it's your family, is it?"


	3. Chapter 3: Oh Dear

Oh My GOD!!! 14 reviews - what did I do to deserve this?!? Not that I'm complaining, far from it in fact. First off, a massive thank you to all who reviewed, and/or alerted/favourited my story! I was shocked at the number of reviews I got, and pleased so many people liked the story enough to support it. Once again, huge thanks to **True Colours** and **Sacmis**(formerly Dreamcloudchild) because without them, this story most likely would never have made it to the point of being published.

Please review! You can look on it as a finger strengthening, calorie burning form of exercise! Really – the more you write, the more you lose! All together now, 1,2,3 aaaand type, 1,2,3 aaaand type, 1,2,3, aaaaand type! See? Virtually painless, next to no effort required. With all the benefits, how can you bring yourself to ignore the shiny button at the bottom? My previous reviews are lonely. Take pity on them. They need new friends.

And I do own the rights to AR. Really, I do. They're just lost somewhere… for a very long time. Oh, OK, OK. I lied.

Warning: One incident of swearing ahead. Don't say I din't warn you.

**Previously:**

_Alex's smile was now razor-edged and vicious. The vindictive side of him was not often aroused, but once it was, woe betide the unlucky one to incite Alex's wrath. Wolf, furious at being interrupted __and__ insulted, bared his teeth, appearing remarkably like his namesake. He opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver a stinging retort, but was again cut off by Alex's quiet statement._

"_It's not so nice when it's your family, is it?"  
_

**Chapter 2: Oh Dear…**

Wolf closed his mouth, for the first time looking faintly ashamed. Snake, Fox and Eagle fell quiet, instantly serious. Wolf, looking pained and annoyed at the same time, fixed Alex with a glare.

"Be that as it may Cub, I'm the one in charge, and I still don't see why we got stuck with looking after an annoying, smart arse kid. Why couldn't they just fly you back home – we don't need you. Unless your parents really don't want to see you?" the last question was voiced in a sarcastic sneer; but it still struck Alex to the quick. Almost against his will, his face hardened, and his voice grew coldly angry.

"I thought I just said it's not a good idea to insult someone's family?"

Although it was aired as a question to the whole room, it reached the intended target. Wolf's scowl deepened.

"What, now you can't take a few jabs? I thought you were supposed to be some sort of spy, but you're just pathetic." Wolf's tone was acid, but the rest of K-unit were looking distinctly uncomfortable. Alex didn't doubt that Wolf was only voicing the rest of the unit's concerns about his level of competence – well, probably not Fox. It seemed everything had now come to a head. Then Wolf made an enormous mistake.

"Maybe you could take offence if I said that your mum is a whore, your dad cheats on her, and they both deserve to be shot or something, but-"

Wolf never made it to the end of that sentence, because right then Alex drove his fist into Wolf's jaw as hard as he could. With a sickening crack it connected, and Wolf was sent reeling back, almost falling over. Alex might have been small, but he was well trained and knew how to punch. Not to mention, he was furious. He limited himself to one hit, though, as he knew it was enough to silence Wolf and he didn't feel like inviting a highly trained SAS soldier to attack him. _At least, not anymore than I already have. _It was surprisingly hard to control his temper.

All of K-unit were now on their feet. Snake had gone to check on Wolf. Alex had no doubt that Snake probably had needed to restrain Wolf from attacking him. Fox and Eagle blocked off Alex's view of him. Both men were grim and hard faced, but sly amusement lurked in the corners of their eyes. Right now, Alex didn't really care if he got the shit kicked out of him; he just couldn't stand anymore of Wolf's awful diatribe against the parents he had never even known. It was worth it anyway. Eagle shifted, and then caved in.

"You are either the bravest kid I've ever met, or the craziest."

Fox muffled a laugh, with a glance back to where Wolf was. Alex's shoulders tensed, seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye. Noticing this, Fox quickly interjected,

"We're not going to beat you up Cub," and he gave Alex a strained smile.

"Yeah," Eagle chimed in, "Wolf looks like he'll do it all by himself!"

Fox groaned and smacked him on the back of the head. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Wolf hauling himself to his feet and striding out of the room, utterly silent. He sighed, and then continued.

"What this idiot -"

"Hey!"

"has just said is wrong, Cub. Wolf was…" here he hesitated for a moment. "Wolf was wrong to say that to you, and he knows it. It's just he's…"

"Stubborn as a cranky donkey with the temperament of a bear?" interjected Eagle, cheerfully.

"I was going to say, he's difficult to be around sometimes."

"Well yeah, that too."

Fox rolled his eyes and cuffed Eagle on the back of the head again. Then he turned to Alex, concern evident in his eyes.

"You alright Cub? Don't take what he said to heart, he's had a really bad week-"

"Bad month, more like." Eagle muttered. Fox glared, and then continued.

"-and you know he doesn't like kids at the best of times, and, yeah." He paused, looking incredibly awkward. "You being here was kind of the last straw for him really." He shrugged. "It doesn't excuse him, but try not to hold a grudge, ok?"

"It's alright." Alex's voice was completely flat. When he turned his gaze up to meet Fox's, the man looked surprised, and worried, at what he saw there. "I don't want an apology, or anything. I just want to be left alone." With that pronouncement, he turned and left the room.

Fox turned to meet Eagle's incredulous stare.

"I know." He said, quietly.

Eagle's mouth set in a hard line.

"It's like he's empty, or stone, or, or, or something. A kid shouldn't look like that! It's fucking unnatural!" He paused, struggling for words to get his point across. "I mean, he was angry enough to punch Wolf, of all people a minute ago! And now, he's just, just…" he paused, searching for the right word.

"Icy? In control?"

"Yeah!"

Fox sighed.

"Didn't you notice? He's nearly always in control. Even when he hit Wolf, he was weighing up the consequences. As if he thought it was worth the potential battering!" He shook his head mournfully, and then smirked. "It probably was worth it from his point of view, and it was definitely worth it from mine."

Eagle grinned wickedly.

"Shall we go soothe the wounded pride of out erstwhile teammate?"

"I think we'll have to." Fox sighed. Eagle just groaned.

* * *

Wolf stormed into his room. He was livid, and the fact that his jaw was aching like fire did nothing to help. If anything, it only served to further incense him. Until he remembered just who had hit him. He winced. Cub was small for a sixteen year old – actually, how old was Cub? They had never been told and the kid had never said anything either. But he had to be at least sixteen. For one thing, MI6 couldn't use him unless he was, and then only with consent from a parent or guardian. Even they had to follow the law. And Cub was too quiet, too serious to be that young. There was something in his demeanour, a sort of inner serenity that said, 'I've been through worse, so what can you do?' Even when he'd driven the kid to the point of physical violence, there was no blinding rage in his eyes. Annoyance, yes. Anger, yes. Out of control? No. Just calculation, and cool disdain – or contempt.

Wolf started to feel the first stirrings of shame. For all that he'd said about kids and adults, and being the one in charge, he was the one who'd acted like a spoilt toddler. Wincing as he thought over what he'd said, he concluded he had been a perfect arse, and made a fool of himself. Ah, hell. This was the low point of an already crappy month. Taunting a kid wasn't right, especially when he was away from home and probably missing his family. And Cub had given him plenty of warning, after all. The whole Neanderthal thing was pretty obvious in hindsight. He'd just been too angry and prideful to see it. Old habits were hard to break he thought, ruefully. Wrapping his self-introspection session up, he summarised. In truth, he'd had it coming. He had taunted the kid for days, and some of the stuff he'd said was, well, pretty bad. Downright vicious, even. He sighed. He'd come up here with the intention of fuming in dignified silence for a while, but he was too restless for that now. It was time to go for a run.

* * *

Alex sat, legs crossed, meditating. It was something that, surprisingly, Ian hadn't taught him. Jack had, in one of her phases. He smiled softly. The thought of his crazy, fiery, red-headed, sometimes hyperactive American housekeeper always cheered him up. The thought of what she would have done to Wolf had she been present, made him smile even more. The form of revenge Jack usually used would make his actions towards Wolf look positively saint-like. _Like the time Ian forgot her birthday altogether, even though she said she wanted the day off._ Ian had gone into the 'bank', and Jack had no other choice but to look after him and abandon all her carefully laid plans. When Ian had come home, she had exploded, her hair ensuring she was the living embodiment of a volcano. Ian had steered well clear of her afterwards until she had calmed down. _Probably because his ears were still ringing._ He had always made sure to remember her birthday and buy a nice present after that.

He felt much calmer now. Meditation, unlike all the other ridiculous new age rubbish Jack made him try, worked. Despite the fact she insisted she wanted to try, he knew she had found it for him. And he was very grateful. The simple act of focussing on his breathing and nothing else helped to centre and ground him. If he concentrated only on his breathing, then there was no room for emotion. It was a good way of clearing anger, and now he was using it to try figure out why today went as badly as it did. _After all, it's not like Wolf has actually been reasonable for the past few days. What went wrong today? _He exhaled one last time, trying to push out all the frustration and anger that was welling up inside him. Realising that it wasn't really working, he decided to burn it off. Rolling over, he began to count off the press-ups. _One… two… three… four… five… six… seven…_

"Oi Fox, c'mere" Eagle called, softly.

"What?" Fox was fast growing irritated with Eagle's incessant need for conversation. And why was he practically whispering? Apart, he reminded himself dryly, from the fact that with Eagle, everything was a drama. Despite how annoying his unit were, he was glad to be back from his secondment with MI6.

"Just c'mere, there's something I want you to see." He turned and waited for Fox, a pleading expression spread across his face.

Muttering an uncomplimentary narrative to himself, Fox reluctantly put his book down and followed him. As he recognised where they were going, he grew more and more confused.

"Eagle, where are we going, the only one who sleeps here is-"

"Cub," Eagle finished. "I know, but trust me; you'll want to see this."

Fox groaned, but followed anyway. Despite himself, he was intensely curious about Cub. He knew Cub the best - from Australia - and liked him, but that wasn't much. They had no file on him, and the kid barely stuck around long enough to say hello and goodbye, let alone hold a full conversation. _Although_, he thought, rather guiltily, _we didn't encourage that kind of behaviour last time or this time._

Suddenly Eagle halted, and Fox bit back an expletive as he nearly crashed into him. Scowling angrily, he pushed past a smug Eagle, and stopped. Turning round, eyebrows raised, all he could ask was,

"What the hell?!?"

Eagle shrugged, grinning.

"That's what I said too."

Fox turned back to the sight before him. In the room, Cub had taken his shirt off and was vigorously pressing on the floor. As he watched, the kid switched to sit ups. His movements were smooth and flowing, the muscles obvious and prominent in his well toned arms and stomach. Despite already knowing Alex was in great shape, he couldn't help but be impressed. But what had caused his outburst a minute ago was the fact that once Cub finished those sets, he turned to attack. Facing away from them, he could nevertheless see the ferocity behind the lightning fast kicks, jabs, punches, blocks and movements of the kata the kid was moving through. Fox twisted round to grin at Eagle.

"I think Wolf should be glad he got off with only one punch," he murmured.

Eagle's answering smile widened before he admitted,

"I thought that too." Then he sobered and carried on. "But look, he's got to be seriously mad to start working out spontaneously. I don't want a fight anymore than you do, but at this rate it's only a matter of time, and we were lucky Snake was able to get Wolf out last time, before it kicked off again. We were even luckier that Cub didn't attack us either, or really try to hurt Wolf."

Fox nodded, before replying,

"I think it was more a warning, y'know? Or he considered it the only way to shut Wolf up for a while. He didn't hit him anywhere that would have caused real damage, and judging from what he's doing in there, he knows where to hit." He furrowed his brow, thinking. He wasn't allowed to say that he'd worked with Cub, and that made calling the others on their behaviour much more difficult. As much as it galled him, orders were orders. Cub knew that just as well as he did, although he had been much more vocal in his disapproval. He'd never get used to the kid's sense of humour, but it was damn funny all the same. Eventually, he sighed and looked at Eagle resignedly.

"We're going to have to talk to Wolf about this, aren't we?"

Eagle grimaced.


	4. Chapter 4: Pride Falls

Stop the presses. It is heeeeeeere!!!! Finally – I am very sorry for the wait, and I do feel very bad about it. Please don't eat me. I know you're all nice, sane people who aren't into cannibalism/mutilation/murder/torture. Right? Hopefully I'll get the next chapter back soon and can put that up. But I'm not making any promises, because for both I and True Colours(my wonderful beta) things are very hectic right now. Try changing schools for your A levels – it is very busy indeed. Now, I would also like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who reviewed – you are all lovely people! Thank you ever so much. But please, my reviews had only a small gathering last time. I want them to be able to host a rave! And remember, reviews burn calories! So start typing folks.

Of course the new AR book, Crocodile Tears, belongs to me. Yeah right. Btw, OH. MY. GOD!!!! **Such** a good book! I was so excited, I read it in less than 3 hours – after you've finished reading **and reviewing** this, go beg/borrow/steal a copy and reeeeaaad!

"_We're going to have to talk to Wolf about this, aren't we?"_

_Eagle grimaced._

__

The two wandered back to the room that Fox had left his book in. Once he had put it back in his bunk, they left to find Snake. He was outside, watching the road. As they approached, he glanced round, a hunted expression on his face. Eagle laughed and shouted,

"Did you think we were Wolf, come to eat you?" Snake gave him a weird look, then gazed back out over the road.

"Something like that." He admitted. "I do possess a sense of self-preservation, and right now, it's telling me to run if I see our glorious team leader."

Eagle cackled gleefully.

"I'd love to see you tell him that!"

"I'm brave, not suicidal," Snake joked. Fox smiled. It was good to see his team lighten up a little. Even Eagle had been somewhat downcast lately, and Wolf…. He shuddered. Wolf was never really in a good mood, per say, but this was definitely one of his more sour periods. _Although he has had it pretty rough…._ Moaning internally about the injustice of the world, he reluctantly steered the conversation back to their original purpose.

"Snake," he sighed, "me and Eagle-"

"Eagle and I, actually" interrupted Eagle. Fox glanced up to the sky, as if to ask, _why me?_

"Anyway, me and Eagle were thinking that, well, we, we-"

"Need to smack some sense into Wolf?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Eagle. Shut up."

Snake heaved a sigh, and spoke without turning round.

"I know," he said softly. "We let this go on for too long. He's just a kid and Wolf was bang out of order." He shook his head. "What I don't know is how to get that through to Wolf – you know what he's like – once he has something in his head then that's it. We have to talk to him, but I don't even want to think about how he's going to react, and I'm not sure where he is anyway-"

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to look very far, isn't it?"

Horror struck, none of the group moved for a long moment. Then, like children caught stealing, they turned, shamefacedly, to face Wolf in all his glowering glory.

"Wolf-" Eagle said weakly,

"Save it." He replied brusquely. "It's better to talk inside." He strode back towards the house, leaving his shell-shocked unit behind.

"Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming," murmured Eagle. A moment later he yelped in pain. "I didn't mean for you to actually do it!"

"Well, next time don't say it then!" Fox said snootily. Snake rolled his eyes at their childish antics and started towards the door.

"Come on," he called, "Wolf's waiting." That quickly shook the two out of their argument, and they followed without a fuss. When they reached the door to the sitting room, Eagle sighed dramatically.

"Time to enter the dragon's den."

Alex lay gasping for breath on his bed. The workout had done him a world of good, and he'd pulled himself out of his funk from earlier. Thinking back, Fox, or rather Ben, had looked a little worried when talking to him. It was nice to know that he hadn't been acting in Australia, and that he had someone to rely on if things went really badly. He felt worn out, but in a good way. He'd burned off all his anger and restlessness, and he felt considerably better towards Wolf than he had done earlier. He was starting to get a little hungry, but it could wait until later. Right now, he felt like bed, regular sleep patterns be damned.

Wolf was sitting down in the small kitchen area when the rest of the unit peered apprehensively round the doorway. By an unofficial vote, Fox had been chosen to gauge what sort of mood Wolf was in. Of course, that meant Snake and Eagle had ganged up on him and all but pushed him into his current predicament. Nervously, he entered the room and Wolf looked up. Surprisingly, he wasn't scowling. Only a faint frown adorned his rugged features. Seeing Fox, his expression cleared, and he sighed.

"Stop hovering and sit down," he grunted. Fox sat quickly, unwilling to test his unit leader's new found good humour. Casting around for something to start off this undeniably awkward conversation, his mind went blank. If this had been a mission with MI6 it would have been easy to come up with something off the top of his head, but it was different when he was back with his unit. For one thing, he couldn't, and didn't want to lie to them. And it was always harder when you were close to someone, living and working with them. He couldn't hide much from his unit, but he knew they would leave him alone if he asked. But sometimes, things had to be thrashed out no matter how unwilling one of them was. This was one of those times.

Eventually Wolf shifted and sighed in frustration.

"Spit it out Fox."

"Well, me and the guys-"

"Who are no doubt cowering in a corner somewhere, or in the hallway listening to us." Wolf raised an eyebrow and waited a few seconds until a very embarrassed Snake and Eagle shuffled into the room. Unexpectedly, he grinned and shook his head in amusement. The others stared at him, slightly bewildered by the change. Eagle opened his mouth, but seeing Wolf raise an eyebrow, wisely decided to keep quiet. Snake, ever the negotiator, was the first to break the silence that had fallen over the small room.

"Wolf, we really need to talk."

Wolf dragged a hand across his face, appearing suddenly tired. He was still sweaty and fatigued from his run. The heat sapped his strength far faster than he would like to admit, although to an SAS soldier it made no difference. He would get the job done no matter what.

"I know," he said quietly. He sat for a moment, thinking. When he next spoke, the words sounded almost painful, as he struggled to say what he had forced himself to admit. "I… was – wrong. I wasn't – I mean, I shouldn't… I was wrong," he said, honestly. "I… took it out on Cub, and, well. It wasn't right," he finished, lamely. Thankfully, his team appreciated the seriousness of the moment and even Eagle was grave and quiet.

"Wolf," he began tentatively, "you've not been in the… best of moods recently – and we understand to an extent. But Cub's just a kid, and, I think you need to apologise," he finished in a low voice, wary of Wolf's reaction. Once again he surprised them all by agreeing.

"Yeah, I know. I was going to do it later, when we'd all had a chance to cool off a bit." He saw Fox and Eagle exchange small, smug grins. Suspicious, he asked "What?" When he was rewarded only by two identical innocent looks his suspicion climbed. Until it was nearly as high as… _no, better not to go there_. Eagle and Coke had never produced a good result. Remembering one particular incident he shuddered, and put it out of his mind. Narrowing his eyes, he regarded them with cynical suspicion. Unsurprisingly, it was Eagle who gave in and spilled the beans.

"We saw Cub after the… incident. And Jesus, Wolf! You're lucky he only got in one punch." Eagle was obviously having the time of his life pointing out just how hard Cub could hit. "I mean, imagine that bruise on your face, but all over," he continued blithely, "in fact, I'd go as far to say that Cub might even kick your…." He trailed off. Wolf had upgraded his glare from annoyed, to 'you will be dying imminently if you don't shut up right now.' Fox and Snake exchanged amused glances. Wolf rubbed the fast-purpling bruise on his jaw, wincing.

"I know it's bruised, ok? It's on my face after all." Wolf scowled, irritated. Then he shrugged. "Cub caught me off guard, and I sort of deserved it."

Snake, eyebrows raised, asked,

"What's got you in such a good mood? Not that we don't prefer you this way, but it's certainly quite the turnaround." Wolf looked sheepishly at the floor and mumbled,

"I went for a run."

The rest of the unit groaned.

"Wolf, you know we're not allowed out of the front yard!" Fox moaned.

"No-one saw me! And I really needed to work off some steam." Wolf said, defensively. Fox cuffed him gently on the back of his head.

"Idiot." He said, affectionately. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it now. Having you in a better mood is worth it anyhow-" He ducked Wolf's return swat with a chuckle. Then Snake looked at his watch.

"It's cooling down a bit. Do you want to talk with Cub now, or later?" Wolf's face shuttered and he sighed.

"Now. It's best to get it over and done with." The others nodded and let him go, all serious for once. Then Eagle spoke up.

"Well what are we supposed to do now?"


	5. Chapter 5: C'est La Vie

Hellooooooo! I'm back – fairly soon as well, with a nice shiny new chapter for you! Don't you all just adore me? *Ducks flying objects* Hm. Maybe not then. Thanks again to my brilliant betas, **True** **Colours** and **Sacmis**, who had had a really hard time beating me over the head, telling me to get on and stop dithering, and start revealing action and secrets and whatnot to you. But since I am Anthony Horowitz, I am invincible and you cannot tell me what to – oh, darn. Power trip over people. Disc. Not mine, wish it was.

Now , I love all of you who reviewed – but please? *does puppy dog eyes* May I have some more? (Oliver Twist. Such a good book and film) Now the begging is over, on with the story. *ducks out of the way of more flying things*

* * *

"_Now. It's best to get it over and done with." The others nodded and let him go, all serious for once. Then Eagle spoke up._

"_Well what are we supposed to do now?"_

* * *

As he walked toward Cub's room, Wolf felt like a criminal walking to the courtroom, knowing he was guilty but trying to defend himself anyway. Strangely nervous, he knocked on the closed door. When there was no reply, he knocked again, slightly louder. When Cub continued to ignore him, he sighed. The kid didn't seem the type to sulk, but he was entitled to it. He turned the handle and entered anyway, only to stop short. Cub lay curled up on the bed, asleep. The kid looked exhausted, and his face was open and peaceful. It was only now, seeing how relaxed he was, that Wolf realised how tense and on edge Cub was around them. But now he searched the young face in front of him a second time, he could see worry lines and strain etched into the very foundations of Cub's face. More disturbed than he would like to admit, Wolf left the room, feeling strangely like he had trespassed on something he shouldn't have. There was no point waking the kid. He looked like he needed the sleep.

* * *

Eagle, Snake and Fox had been sitting in comfortable silence for less than five minutes when they heard Wolf descending the stairs. Exchanging surprised and apprehensive looks, they waited for Wolf to re-enter the room. When he turned round after shutting the door, his face was an inscrutable mask, making it impossible to glean any information about the reason for Wolf returning so soon. When Wolf met Snake's questioning gaze, he shook his head, and odd expression crossing his face.

"He's asleep." The short statement belied the amount of surprise it caused. Snake frowned.

"That's odd. During the day as well. Are you sure he wasn't just – um – ignoring you?" Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Yes. I went right in and he was definitely asleep."

"Good." Fox stated, eyes hard. "He looks like he could do with some extra rest." The rest of the group looked at him askance, unsure of where the odd attitude had appeared from. Fox shifted slightly, agitated. "Don't worry about me. I just – the kid looks tired." Again he cursed orders that forced him to hide important information from his team. All of this would be so much easier if he were only allowed to tell them!

* * *

Three hours later, Alex woke to the shrill, unwelcome sound of his alarm clock. Blearily, he stumbled out of bed, yawning. It was very unlike him to find it difficult to get up. _Normally, that's Jack's domain. If she ruled the world, mornings would be banned. _He must have been more tired than he had previously thought for his nap to have had so little of an effect. It was probably everything catching up with him now he actually had a chance to rest. Already fully dressed, he was reminded by the timely growl from his stomach, that dinner should be fairly soon. He considered whether to risk running into Wolf downstairs or just to wait until the last minute. _Ah, what the hell._ He would be damned if he was going to hide from Wolf, although he knew that it was probably too much to hope that Wolf would leave him alone for long. Pausing only to stick his knife into the back of his trousers, he started downstairs.

"You bloody cheat!"

"Am not! It's not my fault you're rubbish at poker!"

"I play poker just fine when _someone's_ not cheating!"

"I'm not cheating – you're right in front of me! How could I be cheating!"

"I've seen it done before – and it's easy to learn – you could have picked it up anywhere!"

"For the last time, I'm not – WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S EASY TO LEARN!?!"

"Shit. I was about to pin all the blame on you and win the game."

"Bastard – not only do you try pinning me with cheating, but you're cheating while you're at it! That's called being a hypocrite in most parts of the world, you know."

"Yeah. But we're not currently in a particularly fair part of the world, are we?"

"That's no excuse! How am I supposed to trust you with my life if I can't even trust you in a game of cards?"

"Oh, stop moaning. You're just a sore loser. And you got that trust line from Saving Private Ryan or something didn't you?"

"No!"

"Yeah, whatever. Drop the indignant act, I saw you put a card in your hand anyway."

"Didn't."

"Yes, you did. And don't start sulking either – you're not five anymore, although heaven knows you act like it most of the time."

"I don't sulk!"

"Oh calm down – and yes, you do. We all agree."

"Shut up."

"C'mon – I'll teach you how to cheat properly then – seeing as you're hopeless anyway."

"I'm not hopeless, just… out of practice."

"Riiight."

Fox collected the cards that had become scattered all over the table during the course of the argument, feeling smug. Eagle was terrible at card games and completely obvious when he tried to cheat. Which was most of the time. At least if he taught Eagle a bit it would make their games a little more… interesting. Wolf and Snake were watching the byplay avidly, as it was rather like a tennis match – the swift attack and return, comeback and conceded points in the verbal sparring game. All of them were so absorbed in the poker game, argument and subsequent cheating practice; they failed to notice Alex slipping past them and into the kitchen. It was only when he dropped a handful of cutlery when rummaging around in the drawer for a sharper knife, did they notice he was there.

The loud crash made them all start, but Fox's lips quirked when he heard Alex's muffled swearing. Eagle turned to Fox, mouth slightly agape as he whispered,

"How did he get down here without us noticing?! And how long has he been in there anyway?"

Snake rolled his eyes and answered,

"You were making enough noise to cover him you idiot – you probably woke him up."

"Oh." Looking more than a little chastened, Eagle sat back before smirking.

"You know, if he is a ninja that could sneak in and kill us all in our sleep, at least I haven't much to worry about. Wolf on the other hand…" he trailed off. "You'd be the first to go, mate."

Wolf rolled his eyes but quickly sobered once Snake and Fox shot him meaningful glances. His face tensed slightly, and the lines on his forehead deepened. He sighed.

"I'm going to go talk to Cub. Are you coming?" Surprised, the others agreed merely out of curiosity. They all stood up and headed into the kitchen.

* * *

Alex cursed his momentary clumsiness. He must be more tired than he'd originally thought – the knife and fork had simply slipped from his fingers when he hadn't been paying attention. Turning round to go back upstairs, he was confronted with one of the most terrifying sights in the world. A full SAS unit in the doorway. To his credit, Alex didn't so much as bat an eyelid.

* * *

Snake had to stop himself from smiling. The current situation was so awkward it was funny. Wolf looked like he'd rather be anywhere than here, and Cub, well, Cub was Cub. He didn't give much away. He sighed internally. It looked like it had fallen to him to be negotiator once again. At least Cub wasn't armed – although, as the bruise on Wolf's face attested – he was still plenty dangerous.

"Cub. D'you mind speaking with us for a minute? Wolf's got something to say to you." The man in question shot him a grateful look, and turned back to observe Cub's reaction. The kid was still wary and guarded, but at least he didn't look like he was going to bolt at the next opportunity. He nodded, slowly, and Wolf then sat down at the table, spreading his hands in a non-threatening manner. He cleared his throat.

"Um, I, guess you've had a chance to um, cool down a bit, so I was hoping we could, talk?" Wolf winced at how lame the sentence sounded, and hoped Cub had worked off some anger – otherwise this could go very badly. When he looked up and met Cub's gaze, he was surprised. The kid's stare was flat and devoid of emotion – coolly assessing whether Wolf was genuine or not. To his relief, the kid just nodded and continued staring at him. His face was blank and Wolf couldn't read anything other than forced casualness in his body language.

"I just wanted to apologise about earlier today, and um, the last couple of days. I shouldn't have said what I did and I - I'm sorry." There. A nice and forthright, blunt, admission and apology all in one. He only hoped it was enough. Cub seemed to consider him for a few moments before shrugging and replying,

"It's alright. I'm sorry about hitting you as well. It wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do." Momentarily, Wolf was floored. That was it? He could hardly believe this! Cub was accepting his apology why? Not that he was complaining, because he wasn't, but he had expected for the teen to rub it in at least little. And to get an apology back…. From the faces of him team mates; they hadn't been expecting such an easy reconciliation either – except Fox. Something – possibly pride – flashed across his face before disappearing. Now thoroughly confused, Wolf sought to reinforce the fact he really did regret his comments from earlier, and was not just making a token gesture to keep the peace.

"No, really Cub – I am sorry," he said, as honestly as possible, "I'm sorry about insulting your parents – you must miss them." For the first time Cub looked uncomfortable. Inwardly, Wolf grimaced, waiting for the explosion. He was again surprised when Cub answered him.

"Well, I suppose…" Alex was taken aback, and Wolf sensed his hesitancy.

"Everyone misses their parents, Cub, it's only natural." He flushed, embarrassed, as it registered how pathetic that sounded. He could almost hear the mockery his team were surely sending his way. That meant he almost missed the way Alex paled a little at his statement, realising the implications behind it. Almost.

"Cub?" The sharper tone to his question got the attention of everyone in the room.

"They didn't tell you, did they?" The question was reluctant, and Fox felt an almost comic horror as he remembered what Mrs. Jones had told him about Alex in Thailand. He masked his surprise quickly and sent Alex a sympathetic look which was gratefully received.

"Tell us what, Cub?" Wolf was now aware something was up, and his tone was becoming somewhat irritated. Eagle and Snake shot each other worried glances, while Fox continued to watch Alex, ready to back him up if need be.

Alex swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. It was best to be blunt.

"My parents are dead."

"What?!" Unusually, the exclamation came from the normally taciturn Snake. Fox sighed and sent Alex a commiserating look. Eagle was ominously silent and serious, and Wolf… well – he looked horribly, wretchedly guilty, suddenly remembering in exquisite detail exactly what he'd said about Cub and his parents.

Snake shouldered his way to the front of the group.

"When did this happen?" He asked, softly. Alex appreciated it, but right now, especially with Wolf around, it was not the time for subtlety.

"My parents died when I was one. I was raised by my uncle. He died last year." His tone was blank, just like his face. Sneaking a glance at the rest of the unit, he noticed how bad Wolf looked, and awkwardly made a belated effort to soften the blow. "Er, I mean, it's not like I ever knew them, so it's not like I could miss it or anything." Snake, ever perceptive, sent him a mild glare.

"Don't try and make Wolf feel better." Wolf winced. "He deserves this because he was a prick. Maybe next time he'll think before he speaks." Wolf just nodded shamefacedly. "Who looks after you now? Another aunt or uncle? A godp-" He froze, seeing the look on Alex's face.

Alex looked ahead determinedly, pushing down the fury he felt whenever Ash was mentioned, and forced grim amusement into his voice.

"Don't have any relatives left. The godparent thing… didn't work out. I live with Jack, my housekeeper, now. She's my guardian." _As long as I do what I'm told by MI6._

One glance at the unit told him all he needed to know. He shrugged.

"C'est la vie."


	6. Chapter 6: Oh My God You Can Cook?

I am very sorry this is late. But please don't yell at me, because I am tired and cranky right now. My grandad is in hospital as he is very sick, and I visited on Saturday, and I'm emotionally wrung out right now. So please don't pester for updates, as writing is not my top priority right now. Added to that I have end of term tests in school, as well as modules coming up in January. So life is being a bitch at the moment. I will try to get another chapter out before Christmas, though.

I am also working on a stand alone prequel one or two-shot, I haven't decided yet. It depends on how long it is when I finish. Hopefully that will explain some of the background and explain a few things for you in time for the chapter after this. But like I said, it could be a while. Please feel free to review, and no, I don't own AR, just the plot.

* * *

_One glance at the unit told him all he needed to know. He shrugged. _

"_C'est la vie."_

* * *

Fox smiled internally. Alex was one tough kid, and had just demonstrated why MI6 prized his services above nearly any other agent. He felt kind of – proud that Alex was responding to Wolf's bumbling efforts so maturely and that he hadn't made a fuss over the fact his parents were dead. He was a little surprised at how readily Alex had forgiven Wolf, but as he reflected, he remembered what Alex had told him before. He had too many enemies to be making new ones. From what he knew, (which wasn't much) that meant Alex couldn't afford to alienate potential allies either. But all the same, it was an impressive feat for a teenager to be so cool and level-headed.

* * *

Alex groaned in his head, where K-unit couldn't hear him. He didn't know whether he preferred the outright hostility from before to the clumsy consideration displayed now. At least he knew how to deal with threats and insults. He'd forgiven Wolf easily – at least it was simple to tell he was sincere. He'd endured far worse and had no intention of pissing off _even more_ people than he already had but this kind of well-meaning, albeit misplaced sensitivity, or pity, was new to him. God knew he didn't get any at school. Emotions were weaknesses he couldn't afford while on assignment, and so when he recuperated after a mission he was much more volatile in the first few days than normal. Jack always knew to tread carefully and comforted him then. More than once he'd started shouting or felt like crying for no reason at all. He supposed it was all the near death experiences catching up with him.

That was why he'd reacted to Wolf's insults so badly. He doubted he would have gone beyond a verbal attack under normal circumstances. However, fresh off the mission, the constant needling when he was hurting mentally and physically from the mission and his subsequent capture was too much. He had snapped. But now, especially after his anger-burning exercises, it had dissipated, and he was settled once more. For now, at least.

But now he simply didn't know how to break the ice, or get through the stilted conversation that was all he had in the way of entertainment. Perhaps it would have been mildly amusing to start a new game of cards, as anything was better than his current level of boredom. But on second thoughts, there would be no satisfaction in it either. After all, Alex was a far better cheat than either Eagle or Fox. Just then his stomach rumbled loudly, and he was faintly shocked at how hungry he was. Looking at his watch (another gift from Smithers) he decided it was late enough to start dinner. He'd spied some pasta in the cupboards earlier, and they had some tomatoes. It would be easy enough to knock something together.

* * *

Fox looked up as Alex entered the kitchen. He'd stayed behind while the others went back to their rooms to do God-knows-what. The kitchen had more light, and he was trying to fix a broken radio. It was a complicated, fiddly job that wasn't entirely necessary, but he was bored. Watching with interest as Alex moved around the cupboards, he raised an eyebrow when Alex started to pull out random pots and pans with assorted lids. Nothing seemed to come in matching pairs, it was just a dusty, neglected assortment of various odds and ends.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Alex flashed Fox a quick grin. It probably did look a bit strange, he mused, as he straightened up, probably holding the only saucepan with a lid that fit. He decided to have a little fun with Fox. After all, he was pretty easygoing, especially by SAS and MI6 standards. Straight faced, he answered,

"I'm looking for a way to shut Eagle up permanently."

Fox's eyes crinkled in mirth, and he replied with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Need any help?"

Alex pretended to consider the offer, adopting an exaggerated 'thoughtful' pose.

"If you're nice, you can be lookout. Just don't tell him." Fox smiled, before hastily morphing his expression into one of faint outrage.

"Why Alex, I don't know why you think I would warn the pest – have you ever had to sleep next to him all night long?" He sniffed, imitating the drawl of an upper class accent.

Alex smiled widely, enjoying the friendly banter. It was nice to be able to talk to Ben freely now the others weren't around. He liked Ben – and trusted him more than anyone else he'd met so far. Although that wasn't saying much.

"I just thought you would like the chance to improve your observational skills, that's all." He replied, innocently. Perhaps too innocently. Ben's eyes narrowed slightly, as he glared playfully at Alex.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Certainly nothing related to the events of a few days ago. Perhaps you should remember a certain incident in Bangkok a while back…." Alex sent him a sour look. Ben was enjoying this at his expense way too much, but he knew the perfect way to distract him from this line of conversation.

"Well, at least I don't cheat at cards."

Ben straightened. How on earth had Alex known about that? He was met with a smug grin when he sent Alex a questioning look. The teen shrugged.

"I was already downstairs when you and Eagle were… discussing card game tactics."

Ah. So that was how he knew. For a while, he'd been floored at Alex's apparent new-found powers of omniscience. He smirked.

"Yeah. Eagle sucks at cards – any type of cards."

Alex grinned mischievously.

"All the more reason for us to plan his imminent demise then!"

Ben laughed, images of an outraged Eagle filling his mind. He really was hopeless at cards.

Alex turned and began rummaging in the vegetable rack for a few tomatoes. He poured some water from the big plastic containers into the saucepan, and set it on the small field stove they had brought with them. It was a good one, so the water shouldn't take too long to boil. He was in luck; there was an onion in there as well. In one of the small mess tins that came with the stove, he chopped and mixed the onion and tomatoes. It was very basic, plain, and unlikely to taste brilliant, but edible nonetheless. Pausing to add the pasta to the water, he saw Ben staring dumbly, mouth open, at him. Feeling wicked, he stated airily,

"The human mouth wasn't designed to catch flies, but you might be the exception if you carry on like that."

Ben ignored the comment in favour of an entirely practical approach.

"Oh my God." He said, weakly. "You can cook?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, slightly weirded out.

"Um, yeah? It's not that hard, you know."

Ben just shook his head, still awed by Alex's culinary skills.

"Alex, I haven't had anything but army rations for more than two weeks. At this stage, anything goes."

Alex grinned.

"Really? Now I know why you want to kill Eagle – you're desperate enough to try cannibalism, aren't you?" Ben's face twisted in disgust.

"Urgh, gross. Don't ever mention that again – cannibalism's just disgusting." Alex grinned unrepentantly.

"Who says I have to cook for you? I might happen to like army rations – and I might have only made enough for me."

Ben growled.

"You better not have ignored my plight over here – it feels like I've swallowed a bottomless hole. And nice try, but nobody could ever possibly like army rations. If you've only made enough for yourself, I'll just have to teach you about sharing then, won't I?"

Alex laughed, and decided to stop tormenting Ben.

"It's alright. I made enough for everyone – even Eagle. There was quite a lot of stuff I could use after all."

"Seriously?"

"Don't worry, there'll be enough. Now stop drooling and make yourself useful."

"What?"

Alex sighed.

"I need something to put the food on – like plates, maybe?"

"Oh." Sheepishly, Fox pulled out a smaller set of mess tins and grabbed the cutlery Alex had left on the table in all the commotion earlier. Done, he checked on Alex, who was checking the pasta.

"How much longer d'you think it'll be?" He asked wistfully. The smell of the tomatoes and onions had reached him and were making his mouth water. Alex considered the pasta in front of him. It was nearly done, but the sauce, particularly the onions, needed time to cook once it was mixed in with the pasta. But it wouldn't take too long.

"About seven or eight minutes? The pasta's nearly done."

Ben nodded and put the mess tins on the counter next to Alex. A comfortable silence fell on the room as Alex drained the water out and added his improvised sauce. It was way too watery, but at this stage he didn't really care. Neither, he suspected, did K-unit.

Pouring in the sauce, he mixed it thoroughly before turning the burner right up and leaving it. He sat down next to Ben, and looked curiously at the innards of the radio scattered across the table.

"How's it going?" He asked interestedly.

Ben frowned.

"Slowly. I need more wire, and some parts are too small for me to get at with the tools I have on me. It doesn't really matter though, it isn't essential and we have a working one anyway. It's just nice to have a spare." He sighed and stretched as Alex nodded. Then he cleared it all into a small bag, placing it on the counter out of harm's way. Lazily, he regarded Alex with half shut eyes. The heat made him sleepy, especially in the evenings.

"How are you getting on anyway? I haven't had a proper chance to talk to you yet."

Alex yawned and answered dryly,

"I'm not surprised. In case you hadn't noticed, we've all been a bit busy."

Ben smiled affectionately.

"Aw, Alex, evil megalomaniacs getting you down?"

Alex sent him a half-hearted glare.

"Very funny. I'm surprised you don't have a career in stand up comedy by now. Right now, people trying to take over or destroy the planet are only half the problem."

Ben raised an eyebrow.

"You must have a pretty large set of problems for that to be only half of it."

Alex sighed heavily.

"It's just school. I'm so far behind because I've missed so much – and no-one believes the excuses MI6 make up."

Ben nodded sympathetically. There wasn't really anything he could say, or any advice he could give. After all, covers for teenage superspies missing school weren't his area of expertise. Alex stood and went to check on the pasta that was bubbling along merrily. He hadn't intended on talking so much, but Ben was a sympathetic listener and easy to talk to. It didn't stop him from feeling slightly embarrassed about whinging about all his problems, something he resolved not to do in future. It would only serve to distract them from their job, hinder the operation and allow Alex to indulge in self-pity, which was a trait Ian had always despised, and thus strongly discouraged. Alex remembered one of his many 'toughening-up' lessons when he had been much younger, and frowned. Now was not the time to become lost in memories.

He turned the burner down so the pasta was simmering, and called over his shoulder to Ben,

"You should go get the others now – it's done." The near worshipping expression on Ben's face almost made him laugh again. Before he left the kitchen, Ben said urgently,

"Remember when you're dishing up Alex – you like me best, ok?"

Alex just stood there with a guileless look on his face.

"I thought we weren't supposed to let on about Australia and that we know each other?"

Fox sent him a dirty look before taking off up the stairs muttering about teenagers who were too smart for their own good.

* * *

NB: Alex might be emotionally volatile at times, but he will not have PTSD, or any other psychological problems, apart form the occasional bout of teenage woe-is-me angst. Even then it will be fairly mild, as I quite like the canon Alex.

Upper class accent - Think aristocratic English. And I am allowed to poke fun because I'm English. And I think it's hilarious to listen to.


	7. Important AN

**IMPORTANT**: I may not be updating INEBF for a while. I don't know whether it will go on hiatus or not, but it may well do. The reason. My grandfather died unexpectedly last week, right before my grandma's birthday and Christmas. It was a shock and we are all still very sad, and the funeral was only two days ago. I learnt a lot about him that I didn't know before at the funeral, like the fact he loved to write comedy sketches and plays, and that they were good enough to be performed. So I really wanted to do something in remembrance, to mark his life and talents. I set myself the goal of posting something on Christmas day, and it turned out to be that prequel oneshot I mentioned in the last chapter. Please go read it, as both a memorial, and a Christmas gift to all my loyal readers and reviewers. Over 6,000 words in 2 days isn't bad, is it?

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers this Christmas.


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